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Debate Surrounding The Development Of Gender Roles

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The debates concerning the notions of “sex” and “gender” have been going on over the years. The recent point of view is that gender roles are not universal for everyone, whereas some individuals regard them as fundamental and build their lives according to the rules and standards prescribed by the society. The historical background of gender development theories shows that major theories discussed gender roles from social, cultural, biological, anthropological and psychological points of view. The biological theory was a leading one and it influenced many researches who discussed the development of gender roles. However, the findings of the previous studies have revealed that gender roles are the results of social and cultural influences, rather than being a …show more content…

According to Kohlberg's theory (1966), the formation of gender identity starts in early childhood. Thus, children “develop the stereotypic conceptions of gender from what they see and hear around them” (Bussey &
Bandura 1999, p. 4) and they adapt their habits and behavioral patterns to these stereotypes. Thus, their understanding of gender is based on biological differences between men and women and defined their behaviors and habits. In addition, gender
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GENDER AND SOCIETY identity was considered to be stable and unchangeable for the whole period of life.
However, the findings did not support this theory.
There was no convincing evidence that men and women are biologically different, but there have always been cultural and social factors that shaped the gender roles that men and women had to follow and perform in the society. The study by Gilligan reports that “anthropological research published in that decade uncovered a set of oppositions between maleness and femaleness primarily derived from studies of non-class-based societies” (Stack 1986, p. 321). Over decades, women tended to be more involved with private concerns and relationships and

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More often than not, society compels us to behave like genders we are not. For instance, when faced with challenges like finance, family issues and education, women are expected to be exceptionally strong. Likewise, when men are confronted with sensitive issues they are not expected to openly show their emotions like women. Some jobs description requires female

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754 Words | 4 Pages

The key aspects surrounding this theory emphasize the genetic and hormonal factors present during the prenatal period which ultimately influence how one is socialized. Parents observe whether their child is a boy or girl and shape certain opportunities and environments to fit this biological essence- it is difficult to separate the two and one must exist for the other to occur. Despite evidence supporting the biological and social interplay, others have argued why children may adopt non-traditional gender identities despite parents socializing against

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1870 Words | 8 Pages

The Impact of Culture and Gender Roles Heather Richardson-Barker Drexel University Society has clearly defined boundaries between what is considered to be male or female. The development of an individual’s gender role is formed by interactions with those in close proximity. Society constantly tells us how we should look, act and live based on gender, as well as the influence of family, friends and the media have a tremendous impact on how these roles are formed and the expected behavior of each gender role. The term Gender, as defined by the United Nations, includes the psychological, social, cultural, and behavioral characteristics associated with being female or male. It further defines acceptable

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489 Words | 2 Pages

Throughout the essay “Learning to be Gendered”, the authors study the way children are automatically assigned to gender roles from the minute of birth, to which the child must forever act accordingly to in societies eye. Gender role development plays a large role throughout human development, most children’s gender is equivalent with their biological sex, however that may not always be the case. Society fail’s to realize the difference between gender identity and the biological sex, it is up to the child to determine their gender identity as they mature. The main argument of this article is that children are automatically assigned gender roles from the moment there sex is revealed. As a child matures he/she will approach areas associated to

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1308 Words | 6 Pages

Unlike ‘sex’, which typically refers to the biological and physiological differences, gender is a sociological concept that describes the social and cultural constructions that is associated with one’s sex (Giddens & Sutton, 2013, p. 623-667). The constructed (or invented) characteristics that defines gender is an ongoing process that varies between societies and culture and it can change over time. For example, features that are overly masculine in one culture can be seen as feminine in another; however, the relation between the two should not be seen as static. Gender socialization is thought to be a major explanation for gender differences, where children adhere to traditional gender roles from different agencies of socialization. Gender

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1651 Words | 7 Pages

Gender Roles and Individuality Beginning from an early age, the distinction of both male and female are introduced to children. Both genders were represented by colors such as blue and pink which defined the male figures as dominant and the female figure as feminine. Society has created these standards such as classifying individuals as either man or women due to masculinity or femininity. Society’s idea of gender roles continues to impact an individual’s life because it reinforces them to be the certain way their sex stereotypes them.

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132 Words | 1 Pages

Children and young adults are identifying with gender roles at a young age due to mass media. Children develop within a society that is gender-specific when it comes to social and behavioral norms. These come from the family’s structure, how they play with others and by themselves, and school. Girls were expected to be more passive while boys were to be more aggressive and expressive with masculine behaviors. “Before the age of three, children can differentiate toys typically used by boys or girls and begin to play with children of their own gender in activities identified with that gender.

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687 Words | 3 Pages

All’s Well That Ends Well? All’s well that ends will? Apparently Shakespeare does not believe this to be true, depicted by his twisted rendition of William Painter’s story in the book of The Palace of Pleasure (citation).

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801 Words | 4 Pages

The other 8 children had male identities (Reiner & Gearhart, 2004). On a practical level, the results are fascinating. This study clearly shows that there is more to gender identity in children than their anatomy. After all, more than 60% of the children in the study declared their gender to be male at some point (Table 1). Furthermore, the fact that subjects 7 and 8 went from a declared male identity to an unclear identity over the course of 84 and 59 months, respectively, indicates that gender identity in children may be driven, in part, by social pressures and expectations, at least when those pressures are in direct conflict with what a child feels (Table 1).

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1387 Words | 6 Pages

According to sexologists John Money and Anke Ehrhardt, sex and gender are separate categories. “Sex, they argued, refers to physical attributes and is anatomically and physiologically determined. Gender they saw as a psychological transformation - the internal conviction that one is either male or female (gender identity) and the behavioral expressions of that conviction” (Sterling 4). Although there are biological differences between the two sexes, but gender roles are socially constructed. They determine how males and females should think, speak, dress, behave and interact with society.

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1361 Words | 6 Pages

Gender roles, also known as gender stereotypes, are social and cultural norms on how females and males should conduct themselves within a society. Every culture has certain roles both genders are expected to follow. An example of this in traditional American culture is a man becoming a doctor while a female becomes a nurse or men being the hard workers and women being stay at home mothers. Gender development researchers, similar to other developmental researchers, focus on questions of change over time in gender related subjects (Ruble and Martin 1988). Research suggest that children are socialized to understand gender stereotypes at an early age.

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1073 Words | 5 Pages

Introduction Parents play an important role in guiding the development of their child in the early years, before the influence of teachers and peers comes into play (Diem-Wille, 2014). This influence that parents have on their children would naturally affect the child’s perception of gender roles and stereotypes. Following the approach of the Gender-Schema Theory, the child learns about gender in his or her society by observing behaviours of the people around him or her and then classifying the information as characteristic of different genders (Bem, 1983). The family environment and experience would therefore be central to helping the child construct schemas about gender roles since parents’ actions and attitudes are part of the information that the child receives from the environment that is integrated into the schema (McHale, Crouter, & Whiteman, 2003).

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1381 Words | 6 Pages

A gender role is basically a set of social norms prescribing the types of behaviours which are generally considered satisfactory, proper or desirable for people based on their actual or perceived sex or sexuality. Gender roles usually concentrate on the creation of feminist and masculinity, although there are exceptions and changes in their roles and responsibility . The fact about these fact may vary well among cultures, while other characteristic may be common throughout in cultures. The term gender role was first coined by John Money in 1955, during the course of his study of intersex individuals, to describe the manners in which these individuals expressed their status as a male or female.

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967 Words | 4 Pages

Rules, regulations, norms and conventions have been pre-set for both the male and the female for centuries. Women are expected to behave in a certain way which for men, would be absolutely unacceptable and would attract ridicule, and vice-versa. Formed during the socialization phases of a child, gender role issues influence people throughout their lives; conflict can arise when someone does not feel at ease with his or her gender role Parents, being the first teachers and role models that a child encounters, play an important part in imposing the idea of gender roles in their child. They help in shaping their attitudes, behavior and basic skills such as walking, sitting, talking and other gestures. They willingly or unintentionally happen to reinforce sexual stereotypes.

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2595 Words | 11 Pages

These socially determined roles for men and women are culturally or socially created and are perceived as being expected and normal. From these gender roles, certain characteristics that are a reflection of what it means to be male or to be masculine are expected of men, while other characteristics are ascribed to women and their femininity. ―For example, men are supposed to be natural leaders, decision makers and providers in society, beginning within the family, while women are the caregivers, supporters and followers of men(Pretorius, 1998). In addition women are usually allocated the role of domestic chores as if it were normal for them to do this. This type of work is often hidden and not paid for.

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